April 28, 2012
Final Scores 
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Photo Gallery
WACO, Texas - The top-seeded Maryland acrobatics & tumbling team fell in a battle with second-seeded Oregon, 281.935 to 277.885 Saturday night in the NCATA's national championship at Baylor University.
The meet was a fight from the start. The teams fought back and forth in each heat until the Ducks took the lead for good in the final two events.
"I am just so proud of this team and the way they carried themselves tonight in this championship match," head coach Laura Chiriaco said. "They really fought heat for heat, round for round and we knew it would be a battle."
Oregon edged by the Terrapins in the first event, compulsories, 38.70 to 38.55.
Moving on to the next event, acro, the Terps suffered a misstep in the first heat, but rallied for scores of 9.85 and 9.65 to win the next two heats. The Ducks led 66.95 to 66.50 after those first two events.
In the final event before half, all three of both teams' pyramid heats were strong. The Terrapins earned a perfect 10.0 in the second heat and 9.80 in the first and third heats for a score of 29.60 to Oregon's 29.80. The Ducks led 96.75 to 96.10 at the break.
Coming out of halftime, the Terps swept the three toss heats for a score of 29.00 to the Ducks' 28.00. The event win gave Maryland its first lead, 125.10 to 124.75.
Oregon narrowly took back the lead, 182.825 to 182.475 after winning the tumbling event, 58.075 to 57.375.
In the final event, the team routine, the Ducks competed first and hit a clean routine for a score of 99.11. The Terrapins, fought through some issues in their two partner stunt sequences for a final score of 95.41.
Earlier in the evening, the Terrapins won five event titles. First, the group of Lauren Shannon, Lindsey Kaufmann, Brittany Burkhard, Erin Cahill and Alexandra Yannelli won the title for the 6-element acro heat.
The Terrapins swept the toss event finals. The group of Brooke Grohol, Jordan Sender, Erin Guthrie, Courtney Fike, Anna DiPaula and Laura Chirico won the 2-element toss title. Then, the Terps took the synchronized toss event title as well. The 2-element group made up one of the tosses in the synchronized heat and the group of Brittany Bartko, Shannon, Burkhard, Cahill, Kaufmann and Yannelli made up the other toss. In the open toss event final, Ali Iovino, Karissa DePalma, Krista Breitzman, Bartko and Burkhard claimed the win.
Grohol won individual national championship in the tumbling open heat.
- Terps -
